Apparatus for compressing fibrous or other material.



No. $73,860. Patented Mayl4, 1910!.

J. T. CUWLEY.

APPARATUS FOR GOMPRESSING FIBROUS OR OTHER MATERIAL.

(Application filed Jan. 14. 1991.)

(In lliodel.)

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JAMES T. COWLEY, OH LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PLANTEBSCOMPRESS COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING FIBROUS OR OTHER MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,860, dated May 14,1901.

Application filed January 14, 1901. Serial No. 43,093. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. COWLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lowell,

in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented anew and useful Apparatus for Compressing Fibrous or other Material, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for compressing fibrous or othermaterial and is designed as an improvement upon the construction shown,described, and claimed in Patent No.653,735, issued July 17, 1900, toWatson M. Holmes.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction andarrangement of the slotted head-plate or cap, whereby the bridging ofthe material from one slot across to another is avoided, and to avoidthe formation of a hard knot or core at the center of the bale.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction, combination,location, and arrangement, all as will be more fully hereinafter setforth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out inthe appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and to the various views andreference-signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan viewof a head-plate ring and head-plate, showing the arrangement andlocation of the feed-slots through such head-plate. Fig. 2 is a sectionon the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

In Patent No.630,374=, issued August 8, 1899, to George A. Lowry, isdisclosed a construction of press for compressing fibrous and othermaterial in which is employed a slotted headplate or cap mounted forrelative movement with respect to the compressed material. In theoperation of a baling apparatus embodying these generic features, byimparting a relative movement to the slotted head-plate or cap and thecompressed material and supplying additional material to be compressedto or adjacent to the slot or slots in the cap or head-plate suchmaterial is caught or engaged by the material previously introducedthrough "feeding capacity of the slots.

such slots and is drawn through the slot or slots and compressed andformed into cone densed thin sheets or spiral layers, the body of thecompressed material being augmented endwise by each spiral layer thusadded thereto and correspondingly advanced or lengthened in the form ofa column in a highly compressed or condensed state. It is set forth insaid patent that the feed-slots therein shown and described terminate ashort distance from the geometric center of the cap. In the practicaloperation of such construction it has been developed thatin compressingfibrous or other material, and particularly material of long fibers, itsometimes occurs that the fiber will be caught at one end in one slotand at the other end in an adjacent slot. This occurs more particularlyat the inner ends or slots where adjacent slots come in close relationto each other. This bridging action of the material from one slot toanother results in the formation of a hard lump in the center andfrequently obstructs materially the In the patent to Holmes, No.653,735, above mentioned, it was sought to avoid this objection byforming the slots so as to be continuously open to the center of thecap, the inner end of each slot communicating or opening into the innerend of each of the other slots. By this construction it was found thatwhen the fibers of the material are engaged by the compressed materialand drawn through one of the feedslots in the head-plate or cap and atendency is developed of such fiber to be also engaged or drawn throughan adjacent slot such material will gradually work toward the centerduring the operation of the machine,

and by reason of this center being open that is, byreason of the slotsopening into each other at the center of the cap-plate, as aboveindicatedtsuch material slides over the projections of the cap whichforms the bounding edges of the slots at their junction at the center ofthe cap or head-plate without unduly obstructing the feeding capacity ofthe slot or slots or the operation of the machine. It has been found inpractice,however, that while such construction avoided the ob- 40 hershown.

jection of bridging of the material over the head-plate or cap,or thatportion thereof lying between adjacent slots, by reason of the fibersbeing. engaged at one end in one slot and at 5 the other end in anadjacent slot, another objection is encountered-namely, the forming of ahard core or knot at the center of the bale, due to the location ofthecommon junction of the slots at the axial center of the head-plate orcap and the consequent crowding in at this point of more than thenecessary or required amount of material. It is the special purpose ofthe present invention to overcome this objection, and this result isaccomplished by forming the common junction of the feed-slots at theirinner ends at a point offset from the geometric center of the head-plateor cap.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which is illustrated a feed-cap or headplate constructed inaccordance with the principles of my invention, reference-sign Adesignates the head-plate ring, upon which is supported the head-plate.This head-plate may be of any suitable or convenient construction andprovided with feed slots or openings therethrough, reference-signs1,2,3,and 4 designating such feed-slots. In the particular form shown,to which, however, the invention 0 is not to be limited orrestricted,the head-plate is composed of sections A, which may he firmlybolted or otherwise secured to or formed with the head-plate ring A andwhich sections are suitably ofiset from each other at their edges toform the feed-openings 1, 2, 3,

5 point is located close to one side of one of the slots and that thepoint of common junction of the slots is offset from this point 5. Ihave above indicated that relative movement is imparted to thehead-plate or cap and the col 5o umn of compressed material.

In the particular form shown, to which the invention is not limited, itis designed to relatively rotate the slotted head plate or cap and thecolumn of compressed material. Therefore by the oflsetting of the pointof juncture of the inner ends of the slot from the axial center of thecompressed column it will be readily seen that any material which mightbulge up at the junction of the inner ends of the slots would during therelative rotation of the head-plate or cap and the compressed column ofmaterial be carried around the center by reason of such relativerotations, and consequently would be ironed down at each revolution bythe projection 8 of the head-plate,

which forms a bounding edge of the junction of the inner ends of theslots.

I do not desire to be confined to the exact location of the junction ofthe slots with reference to the axial center of relative rotation of thecompressed column and slotted headplate or cap so long as such point ofjunction is offset from such axial center.

As above indicated, I do not desire to be limited to the exact number ofslots in the head-plate or cap. For instance,slots 1 and 2 may beomitted, in which event the dotted line 9 would designate thebounding-surface at the junction of slots 3 and 4. Similarly, if slots 3and 4 were omitted the dotted line 10 would designate the bounding-lineof the j unction of slots 1 and 2. In either case the effect would bethe same, as the geometric axis of relative rotation of the compressedcolumn and thehead-plate or cap would be ofiset from the juncture of theslots, and hence would be covered up by an overlying portion of thehead-plate, and consequently any bulging of the material occurring atthe junction of the slots during the relative rotation of the column andcap or head-plate would be ironed or smoothed down, thus avoiding theobjection of the formation of hard cores or knots at the center of thecompressed column.

It is obvious that the principles of my invention may be applied to thecase where the compressed column is held stationary and the head-plateor cap revolves relative thereto, and also equally well to the casewhere the cap is stationary and the compressed column revolves or whereboth the compressed column and the cap revolve,but in oppositedirections.

In Fig. 2 a compression sleeve or chamber B is employed; but thisfeature is not essential and may be omitted, if desired.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention and aconstruction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new anduseful and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is

1. In a machine of the class described, a head-plate or cap having slotsor openings therethrough, said slots forming a junction with each otherat their inner ends, the point of junction being offset from the centerof such head-plate or cap, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine of the class described, a head-plate or cap composed ofsections, said sections being offset edge to edge to form slots oropenings therebetween, said slots or openings forming a junction witheach other at their inner ends, the point of junction of such slotsbeing offset with respect to the geometric center of said head-plate, asand for the purpose set forth.

3. In an apparatus for compressing fibrous or other material, ahead-plate having feedslots, means for relatively rotating saidheadplate and the compressed material, the feedslots in said head-plateforming a junction with each other at their inner ends, said point ofjunction being ofiset with respect to the 5 axis of such relativerotation, as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 8th day of January,1901, in the WM. M. RHEEM, NATHANIEL LEE JOHNSON.

